Connector and system comprising a plurality of such connectors

ABSTRACT

Connector for a toy system, comprising a central portion and a connecting portion, where the central portion is provided with a circular hole, where the connecting portion is adapted to be inserted into a straw, where a first side of the central portion is flat, and where a second side of the central portion is provided with a plurality of protruding circular sectors having a predefined angular spacing, where the width of a circular sector corresponds to the distance between two circular sectors. The advantage of the invention is that both rotatable and fixed joints may be provided.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a connector, which is adapted to be used to interconnect a plurality of connectors with straws, in order to build different structures. The connectors will, together with straws, form a toy system which allows a user to design and build open structures in an easy and fun way. The connector is provided with a plurality of grooves and protrusions, such that two connectors can be connected with a fixed angle between them.

BACKGROUND ART

There exists several different building and construction system, where a few different pieces can be assembled together to form different objects. Some systems form solid structures, e.g. the once using different building blocks. Other systems form an open structure by assembling beams or pins to each other such that a frame is obtained. Beams may be assembled using nuts and screws, and pins may be assembled using specific connecting means, having predefined angles for the pins. In order to obtain different sizes, the beams and pins are available in predefined lengths. In these systems, all parts are comprised in the system and are adapted for that specific system.

It is also possible to build structures using material that is actually intended for other uses. One popular method is to build structures using spaghetti which are either glued together using hot melt adhesive (HMA), also known as hot glue, or attached to each other using a soft material, e.g. marshmallows. It is also common to build structures using drinking straws, which may also be assembled to each other using hot glue. One drawback with these methods is that the structure cannot be disassembled such that the parts used for the structure can be reused. Another drawback is that it is difficult to modify the structure when a problem occurs. A further drawback is that it is difficult to provide movable joints when the parts are glued together.

Another known building method include cardboard and glue or tape.

A further known system called Strawbees uses thin plastic connector elements, where a plastic connector element is referred to as a strawbee. Different connectors are provided with between one to five connecting portions, where each connecting portion may be inserted into a straw. In order to provide a rotatable joint, two or more strawbees can be stacked on each other and connected by a further strawbee. It is also possible to obtain a rotatable joint by inserting a strawbee to the waist of the connecting portion of another strawbee.

Some of these known building systems consist of several parts that are specific for that system. In some known building methods, the structure cannot be modified. There is thus room for an improved connector element for building toy structures.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

An object of the invention is therefore to provide an improved connector for a toy system which allows for fixed angular positions. A further object of the invention is to provide an improved toy system comprising a plurality of such connectors and a plurality of straws.

The solution to the problem according to the invention is described in the characterizing part of claim 1 and in claim 15 regarding the system. The other claims contain advantageous embodiments and further developments of the connector.

In a connector for a toy system, comprising a central portion and a connecting portion, where the central portion is provided with a circular hole, where the connecting portion is adapted to be inserted into a straw, the object of the invention is achieved in that a first side of the central portion is flat, and that a second side of the central portion is provided with a plurality of protruding circular sectors having a predefined angular spacing, where the width of a circular sector corresponds to the distance between two circular sectors.

By this first embodiment of the connector according to the invention, the connector can be used to form a joint between two straws, where the joint comprises two connectors. To obtain a rotatable joint, the flat first sides of the connectors are arranged towards each other and the connectors are connected to each other, e.g. by using a further connector. In this way, a joint which allows for relative rotation of the connectors is obtained, where the friction between the surfaces of the first sides determines the holding force of the joint. To obtain a fixed joint, the second sides, provided with the circular sectors, are arranged towards each other. The desired angle of the joint is selected, and the connectors are connected to each other, e.g. by using a further connector. In this way, a joint having a fixed angle is obtained. The angular spacing of the circular sectors determines the possible angular positions of the joint. In one example, the angular spacing between two circular sectors is 30 degrees, but other values can also be used. An angular spacing of e.g. 15 degrees would be possible. It is of course of advantage to let the angular spacing be a subset of 90 degrees, which means that the width of a circular sector is an even subset of 90 degrees. The width of a circular sector is measured in degrees, since the outer edge of a circular sector is wider than the inner edge. The extension of the radial sides of a circular sector intersects the centre of the circular hole.

Two connectors can be interconnected with a longitudinal circular tube, e.g. in the form of a drinking straw. The drinking straw is preferably a straw having a common standardized diameter, such as straws found in fast food restaurants and straws which can be found in retail stores in large, low-cost packages. In this way, a cost-effective toy building system can be provided, where the connectors and the straws can be used repeatedly and where an assembled structure can be modified or disassembled in an easy way. With the possibility to provide fixed joints, the system is enhanced further, which allows for more possibilities in e.g. education. The connector is preferably injection moulded, by which a high precision of especially the circular sectors is obtained. Further, the edges of the connector will be provided with a well-defined radius.

A straw is attached to a connector by pushing the connector into the straw. The rounded edges allow the connector to slide into a straw in an easy way. Since the end of the tip is smaller than the inner diameter of the straw, the straw will be deformed by flattening the straw such that the connecting portion of the connector fits inside the flattened straw. At the same time, the straw tries to resume the circular shape, such that a tension is created inside the straw, which pushes on the side edges of the connecting portion. In this way, the straw will be held to the connector. It is further possible to improve the hold of the straw to the connector by using another connector. By treading the other connector over the straw by inserting the straw through the hole of the central portion and by pushing the other connector towards the first connector such that the other connector will rest at the first waist of the first connector, the straw will be securely locked to the first connector. This will prevent the straw from displacing from the first connector, even if the straw is pulled at. The hole of the central portion is preferably arranged centrally in the central portion.

The connector may also be provided with a second waist, arranged on the connecting portion, close to the central portion. The second waist can be used as a rotatable joint when the central hole of a connector is positioned at the second waist. A further rotatable joint may be obtained by inserting a straw through the hole in the central portion.

The connector is preferably flat, but it would be possible to let connecting portion be somewhat thicker or thinner towards the central axis of the connecting portion. The advantage of a flat connector is that it minimizes the required material. A further advantage is that it is possible to bend the connector at any desired position of the connector. The connector is preferably less than 2.0 mm, and more preferably less than 1.0 mm thick. A suitable thickness may e.g. be 0.8 mm. Such a thickness gives a good balance between the flexibility and stiffness of a connector. It would be possible to let the central portion be somewhat thicker than the connecting portion. The circular sectors protrude from the surface of the central portion. The height of a central sector may be the same as the thickness of the connector, and is preferably at least half of the thickness of the connector.

The edges of the connector are provided with a radius, both the outer edges of the connector and the inner edge of the central hole. The radius of the edges is the same for all edges. The radiuses of the edges allow a connector to enter a straw or the central hole of another connector in an easy and reliable way. The connector is preferably injection moulded, such that it is possible to obtain rounded edges on both sides of the connector. The radius of the edges is preferably less than 0.5 mm, and more preferably less than 0.25 mm, depending on the thickness of the connector. The radius should be less than half the thickness of the connector in order to provide a smooth side surface of the connector. The material of the connector is preferably polypropylene, which allows the connector to be bent several times without breaking. The connector is preferably adapted to be used with straws having an outer diameter of 6 mm or a quarter inch. Such standard straws are easily obtainable in larger quantities in retail shops and are available in different colours and lengths, and are also available with a bendable goose-neck. Such a straw is further easy to cut to a desired length by using a scissors.

The connector may be provided with more than one connecting portion. Depending on the designed structure that is to be built, connectors provided with two or more connecting portions are possible. Connectors provided with one, two, three or five connecting portions are most suitable when building different structures, even if four, six or more connecting portions are possible.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The invention will be described in greater detail in the following, with reference to the embodiments that are shown in the attached drawings, in which

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a connector according to the invention,

FIG. 2 shows an isometric view of a connector according to the invention,

FIG. 3 shows an example of a connector having two connecting portions according to the invention,

FIG. 4 shows an example of a connector having three connecting portions according to the invention,

FIG. 5 shows an example of a connector having five connecting portions according to the invention, and

FIG. 6 shows an example of two connectors assembled with a straw according to the invention.

MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The embodiments of the invention with further developments described in the following are to be regarded only as examples and are in no way to limit the scope of the protection provided by the patent claims.

FIG. 1 shows a front view of a first embodiment of a connector according to the invention, and FIG. 2 shows an isometric view of the first embodiment of a connector according to the invention. The connector is to be used in a toy system, and allows for joints which are either rotatable or fixed. Two connectors can be interconnected with each other by a longitudinal flexible straw, e.g. a drinking straw, which has an outer diameter D. The outer diameter D of the straw may e.g. be 6 mm or a quarter inch, but it is also possible to adapt the connector to straws having other outer diameters. The connector 1 comprises a central portion 2 and a connecting portion 3, where the central portion 2 is provided with a circular hole 8, which preferably is arranged centrally in the central portion and which is provided with an inner diameter d which is larger than the outer diameter D of the straw to be used.

The connector is preferably flat, apart from the protruding circular sectors, with the same thickness over the complete connector, but it would be possible to let the central portion be somewhat thicker in order to increase the stability of the central portion. It would also be possible to let the connecting portion be somewhat thicker or thinner towards the central axis of the connecting portion, or to taper the connecting portion somewhat towards the central portion. The advantage of a flat connector is that it minimizes the required material used in the connector. A further advantage is that it is possible to bend the connector at any desired position of the connector. The connector is preferably less than 2.0 mm, and more preferably less than 1.0 mm thick, and may e.g. have a thickness of 0.8 mm. Such a thickness gives a good balance between the flexibility and stiffness of a connector. By letting the connector be flat and relatively thin, it is easy to bend the connecting portion in order to create joints having any desired angle. The connecting portion is preferably bent at the intersection between the central portion and the connecting portion, but it is possible to bend the connector at any position if required. By e.g. bending the central portion at the middle and thereafter inserting a straw through the central hole, the friction between the central hole and the straw will increase, which is of advantage for some designs.

The central portion 2 of the connector comprises a first side 19 which is flat and a second side 20 which is provided with a plurality of protruding circular sectors 21 having a predefined angular spacing. The width of a circular sector 21 corresponds to the distance between two circular sectors. In the shown example, the angular spacing between two circular sectors is 30 degrees and the central portion is provided with 10 circular sectors. The width of a circular sector is measured in degrees, since the outer edge of a circular sector is wider than the inner edge. The extension of the radial sides of a circular sector intersects the centre of the circular hole.

The connector can be used to form either a rotatable or a fixed joint between two straws, where the joint comprises two connectors. To obtain a rotatable joint, the flat first sides of the central portions are arranged towards each other and are connected to each other, e.g. by using a further connector. In this way, a joint which allows for relative rotation of the connectors is obtained, where the friction between the surfaces of the first sides determines the holding force of the joint. To obtain a fixed joint, the second sides of the central portions, provided with the circular sectors, are arranged towards each other. The desired angle of the joint is selected, and the connectors are connected to each other, e.g. by using a further connector. In this way, a joint having a fixed angle is obtained. The angular spacing of the circular sectors determines the possible angular positions of the joint. In the shown example, the angular spacing between two circular sectors is 30 degrees, with the width of a circular sector being 15 degrees, but other values can also be used. An angular spacing of e.g. 15 degrees would be possible. It is of course of advantage to let the angular spacing be a subset of 90 degrees, such as 15, 30 or 45 degrees, which means that the width of a circular sector is an even subset of 90 degrees. The width of a circular sector is measured in degrees, since a circular sector is inclined towards the outer edge of the central portion. The radial sides of a circular sector intersect the centre of the circular hole. The distance between two circular sectors is also measured in degrees, and has the same dimensions as a circular sector. In this way, the circular sectors of one connector will fit in the voids between the circular sectors of the other connector, and will provide a perfect interlocking of the circular sectors of the two connectors.

The connector is provided with a connecting portion 3 which is adapted to be inserted into a straw. The connecting portion 3 is provided with a stem 9, a waist 10 and a tip 11. The tip 11 is provided with an insertion section 12 and a rear section 13. The width of the insertion section 12 is denoted w₁ and is smaller than the diameter d of the hole 8 and is also smaller than the inner diameter of a straw into which the insertion section is to be inserted. In this way, the insertion section can easily pass through the hole 8 or the edge of a straw.

The length of the stem 9, i.e. the distance between the central portion 2 and the first waist 10, is preferably longer than the width of the central portion, i.e. the distance from the outer edge 14 of the central portion to the inner edge 15 of the central portion. In this way, the stem can be bent 180 degrees and the tip can be inserted through the hole such that the first waist is arranged at the hole. This can be used to connect two or more connectors to each other, e.g. in order to create a fixed joint.

The tip is tapered from the rear section 13 towards the insertion section 12, where the width w₂ of the rear section 13 of the tip 11 is larger than the diameter d of the hole 8 and also larger than the inner diameter of a straw into which the insertion section is to be inserted. The rear section will also be wider than the diameter of a straw, such that the inner surface of a straw will bear against the rear section. The straw will be flattened by the tip when the tip is inserted into the straw, and the straw will flex back such that a force from the straw acts on the rear section. This will allow the straw to be held by the connector. The width w₄ of the stem 9 is also larger than the diameter d of the hole 8 or of a straw. The straw will be held by the stem in the same way as the straw is held by the rear section. When a stem is inserted into the hole of another connector, the stem will bear against the inner side of the hole, and the outer edges of the stem and/or the inner edge of the hole will deform somewhat, such that one connector is held in a non-rotatable way by another connector by the stem.

The width w₃ of the first waist 10 is smaller than the diameter d of the hole 8. In this way, a connector can be held by another connector in a movable manner, by letting the waist rest in the central hole 8. The connecting portion is in the shown example further provided with a second waist 16, having the width w₅. The width w₃ of the first waist 10 is preferably smaller than the width w₅ of the second waist 16, since the first waist can be used to secure a straw with a connector. In such a case, the width of the first waist and two times the wall thickness of a straw must be smaller than the diameter of the central hole 8. The width of the second waist must only be smaller than the diameter of the central hole 8. The second waist can be used to create a rotatable joint when a central hole of a connector is arranged at the second waist.

A straw is attached to a connector by pushing the connector into the straw. The straw tries to resume its circular shape, such that a tension is created inside the straw, which pushes on the side edges of the connecting portion. In this way, the straw will be held to the connector. It is possible to improve the hold of the straw to the connector by using another connector.

By treading the hole of another connector over the straw by inserting the straw through the hole of the central portion and by pushing the other connector towards the first connector such that the other connector will rest at the first waist of the first connector, the straw will be securely locked to the first connector. In this position, the inner side of the hole will push the straw inwards at the first waist such that a higher force acts on the rear section and on the stem of the connector. This will prevent the straw from displacing from the first connector, even if the straw is pulled at.

The edges of the connector are provided with a radius, both the outer edges 14 of the connector and the inner edge 15 of the central hole 8. The radiuses of the edges allow a connector to enter a straw or the central hole of another connector in an easy and reliable way. The connector is preferably injection moulded, such that it is possible to obtain rounded edges on both sides of the connector. Injection moulding will also ensure that the circular sectors are provided with adequate tolerances, which ensures a good fit. The radius of the edges is preferably less than 0.5 mm, and more preferably less than 0.25 mm, depending on the thickness of the connector. The radius should be less than half the thickness of the connector in order to provide a smooth side surface of the connector. The material of the connector is preferably polypropylene, which allows the connector to be bent several times without breaking. The connector is preferably adapted to be used with straws having an outer diameter of 6 mm or a quarter inch. Such standard straws are easily obtainable in larger quantities in retail shops and are available in different colours and lengths, and are also available with a bendable goose-neck. Such a straw is further easy to cut to a desired length by using a scissors.

The described connector 1 is provided with a single connection portion 3. Such a connector can be inserted into each end of a straw, and provides a type of modular building element. With this type of building element, all types of structures can be built. The created joints may be either rotatable or fixed. By combining two or more connectors side by side and inserting a connection portion of a further connector through the holes of the connectors, a joint having two or more branches is obtained. By letting the opening of a connector rest at the second waist of another connector, a rotatable joint is obtained.

The connector may also be provided with more than one connecting portion. Depending on the designed structure that is to be built, connectors provided with two or more connecting portions are possible. Connectors provided with one, two, three or five connecting portions are most suitable when building different structures, even if four, six or more connecting portions are possible. The central portion of a connector having more than one connecting portion may or may not be provided with circular sectors on one side.

FIG. 3 shows an example of a connector having two connecting portions 3, 4. The connecting portions are here divided by 180 degrees, i.e. they are arranged opposite each other at the central portion. This type of connector will provide a connector that can be used for an angled connection of straws by bending one or both of the connecting portions with respect to the central portion. The connector can also be used to provide longer building elements by extending a straw in a longitudinal direction.

FIG. 4 shows another example of a connector having three connecting portions 3, 4, 5. The connecting portions are here divided by 120 degrees. This type of connector will provide a connector that can e.g. be used for a corner connection in a rectangular design of straws by bending all of the connecting portions by 45 degrees with respect to the central portion, or for a corner connection in a triangular design of straws by bending all of the connecting portions by 60 degrees with respect to the central portion.

FIG. 5 shows an example of a connector having five connecting portions 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. The connecting portions are here divided by 72 degrees around the central portion. This type of connector can be used e.g. when more ball-shaped structures are built, or when several straws are to be connected.

FIG. 6 shows an example of a structure where two connectors are assembled with a straw according to the invention. In the lower part of the figure, a connector 1 having a single connecting portion is attached to a straw 18 by inserting the connecting portion 3 into the flattened end of the straw. The outer diameter D of the straw is in the shown example approximately 6 mm or a quarter inch. The width w₂ of the rear section 13 and the width w₄ of the stem 9 is here approximately 8.5 mm, which ensures that the flattened straw and the connecting portion are securely held together. The width w₁ of the insertion section 12 is in the shown example smaller than the inner diameter of the straw 18. The width w₃ of the first waist 10 is smaller than the diameter d of the hole 8, and is in the shown example approximately 6.3 mm. It is also possible that the width w₂ of the rear section of the tip is somewhat smaller than the width w₄ of the stem 9. This will make it easier to insert an insertion section through a central hole, and will at the same time allow a straw to be securely held by the stem.

In the upper part of the figure, a connector 1 having three connecting portions is attached to the same straw 18 with a first connecting portion. This connector is attached to another straw with a second connecting portion. Further straws and connectors may be added in order to build a structure.

By the use of inventive connector, it is possible to build different structures having both movable and fixed joints and where different parts can rotate around an axle, here in the form of a straw. One or more connectors can rotate around a straw when the straw is inserted through the central opening in a connector. A single connector can also rotate around another connector when the first or the second waist of a connector is inserted through the central hole of another connector.

The invention is not to be regarded as being limited to the embodiments described above, a number of additional variants and modifications being possible within the scope of the subsequent patent claims. The connector may have different sizes and may be made from any suitable material. Other shapes are also possible. Also the central portion may be provided with different shapes.

REFERENCE SIGNS

-   1: Connector -   2: Central portion -   3: First connecting portion -   4: Second connecting portion -   5: Third connecting portion -   6: Fourth connecting portion -   7: Fifth connecting portion -   8: Hole -   9: Stem -   10: First waist -   11: Tip -   12: Insertion section -   13: Rear section -   14: Outer edge -   15: Inner edge -   16: Second waist -   17: Centre line -   18: Straw -   19: First side -   20: Second side -   21: Circular sector 

1. Connector for a toy system, comprising a central portion and a connecting portion, where the central portion is provided with a circular hole, where the connecting portion is adapted to be inserted into a straw, wherein a first side of the central portion is flat, and that a second side of the central portion is provided with a plurality of protruding circular sectors having a predefined angular spacing, where the width of a circular sector corresponds to the distance between two circular sectors.
 2. Connector according to claim 1, wherein the width of a circular sector is 15 degrees.
 3. Connector according to claim 1, wherein that the angular spacing between two circular sectors is 30 degrees.
 4. Connector according to claim 1, wherein the diameter of the circular hole is larger than the diameter of a straw.
 5. Connector according to claim 1, the height of a circular sector is the same as the thickness of the connector.
 6. Connector according to claim 5, wherein the thickness of the connector is less than 2.0 mm, and more preferably less than 1.0 mm.
 7. Connector according to claim 1, wherein the connecting portion is provided with a stem, a waist and a tip, where the width of the tip is larger than the diameter of the hole, where the width of the waist is smaller than the diameter of the hole, and where the width of the stem is larger than the diameter of the hole.
 8. Connector according to claim 7, wherein the stem is provided with a second waist having a width that is smaller than the diameter of the hole.
 9. Connector according to claim 1, wherein the connecting portion is flat.
 10. Connector according to claim 1, wherein the radius of the edges is less than 0.5 mm, and more preferably less than 0.25 mm.
 11. Connector according to claim 1, wherein the connector is injection moulded.
 12. Connector according to claim 1, the connector is made of polypropylene.
 13. Connector according to claim 1, wherein the connector is adapted to be used with straws having an outer diameter of 6 mm or a quarter inch.
 14. Connector according to claim 1, wherein the connector is provided with at least two connecting portions.
 15. Toy system, comprising a plurality of connectors according to claim 1, and a plurality of straws. 